Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a game played with square members, which may be cards or blocks, disposable upon a playing board having squares defined thereon, each of said cards or blocks having an identical pattern marked thereon, said pattern comprising markings achieving equal divisions upon the sides of the square, and having contrasting colors defining said pattern, wherein each color occupies an identical portion of each side of said square and wherein any terminus of any marking will meet and mate with any other terminus of a like colored marking on any other member. The purpose of the game is to generate, by the sequential placement of said squares, either a continuity of pattern from one side of the playing board to another side of the playing board, or the completion of a circuit, i.e., an endless track or path, anywhere on the board.

United States Patent Bovasso Feb. 22, 1972 [54] BOARD GAME APPARATUS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Bernard X. Bovasso, Rm. 302, 1911 Jef- 633,951 12/1949 Great Britain ..273/ 157 R ferson Davis Hwy, Arlington Va. 22202 1,216,453 1 H1959 France ..273/157 R [22] Filed: May 19-70 Primary Examiner-Delbert B. Lowe 21 Appl.No.: 34,443

Related US. Application Data Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 849,118, Aug. 11, 1969, abandoned.

US. Cl. ..273/l30 R, 273/137 1), 273/157 R,

Int. Cl. ..'.A63i 3/00 FieldotSearch ..273/l30, 135, 157, 137; 35/27 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a game played with square members, which may be cards or blocks, disposable upon a playing board having squares defined thereon, each of said cards or blocks having an identical pattern marked thereon, said pattern comprising markings achieving equal divisions upon the sides of the square, and having contrasting colors defining said pattern, wherein each color occupies an identical portion of each side of said square and wherein any terminus of any marking will meet and mate with any other terminus of a like colored marking on any other member. The purpose of the game is to generate, by the sequential placement of said squares, either a continuity of pattern from one side of the playing board to another side of the playing board, or the completion of a circuit, i.e., an endless track or path, anywhere on the board.

3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTE0FB221972 3, 643', 956

INVENTOR. ERNARD X. BOVASSO BOARD GAME APPARATUS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 849,] 18, filed Aug. 11, I969, and now abandoned in which there is disclosed the design appearing on the squares employed in the playing of the game of the present application.

This invention relates to a game and provides a playing board and members for placement in squares delineated thereon, whereby, upon selected placement, a completed circuit, i.e., an endless track, is achieved or a path is defined from one side of the playing board to another side thereof.

The playing board has multiple contiguous squares delineated upon its surface and, preferably, a band of color along the periphery of the board. If the playing board is a square, it should have at least 25 spaces for the placement of playing members; if it is rectangular, the number of spaces should be not less than 30. A greater number of spaces may be provided for a more complicated game or to accommodate more players. The number of square members provided for the game equals the number of spaces on the playing board.

The playing members are squares, which may be cards or blocks, and each has on its face an identical pattern comprising markings, one defining a substantially straight line connecting two adjacent sides of the square and the other achieving a 90 turn and connecting the other two adjacent sides of the square, both of said markings, at their respective termini, occupying identical spaces on the sides of the square and having the colors defining said markings of a hue contrasting to the background color of the square. Thus, when the members are emplaced on the playing board, the termini of the markings on one member meet with the termini of markings on contiguous members to form a sequential path or course in a selected direction across the board or in a circuit ofa desired configuration.

A wild car may be provided, as a substitute for one of the square members, said wild card having thereon two perpendicularly crossed lines whose termini occupy spaces on the borders of the square identical to the spaces occupied by the termini of markings on the other squares. Thus, a player who draws a wild card may use it to achieve any turn or straight line desired and continue his desired path with squares having the conventional markings.

The purpose of the game is to permit each player in turn to emplace a member in a square in an effort to build a path from one border of the playing board to another border, or to complete a circuit.

Definitive rules for playing the game are deemed irrelevant; the essence of the application resides in the arrangement of the playing board and the pattern delineated on the face of each playing member. The pattern may be printed, intaglio, or relief.

The design on the face of the members consists of a diagonal bar disposed at an angle of 45 and extending from one side of the square to the adjacent side, and another mark constituting the border of a quadrant, i.e., a right-angle bar, which may be either square, truncated, or a quarter ofa circle, extending between the other two sides.

The important factor, which never varies, is the angular disposition of the bars, the identity of color of the termini of the markings in like segments of the sides of the square, and the identity of markings on all members constituting a set for the playing of the game. The border of the playing board should also be of the same color as the markings on the playing members.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows, as an example of the playing board, a square grid having 25 squares delineated thereon, and a solid color border.

FIG. 2 shows the design of the playing member, comprising a bar set at a 45 angle and terminating on adjacent sides of the square, and another, right-angle, bar terminating in identical spaces on the other two adjacent sides of the square.

in FIGS. 2A and 2B there are shown variations of the pattern, FIG. 2A being a truncated right-angle bar and FIG. 28 showing a quarter-circle; in each of these figures the bars being outlined by white, in contrast to the color of the bars and the hue of the background.

FIG. 3 shows a square playing member placed on the playing board.

FIG. 4 shows a segment of a playing board upon which a group of four members are emplaced to form a simple circuit, that is, four right angles having their termini meeting to form a square circuit.

in FIG. 5, a section of the playing board shows a pattern generated to form a connection between two adjacent sides of the board, i.e., commencing with the diagonal bar in the third block on the left-hand side of the playing board and continuing to the diagonal bar in the upper right-hand square.

FIG. 6 shows some of the various-type connections possible and allowable on the playing board. For example, squares l b and 2 a, using the diagonal of square 1 a to effect a connection. Similarly, squares l e and 5 d are the ends of a connection of two opposite sides. Connections using a single side are demonstrated by squares 5 b and 5 c, and by 3 e and 4 0. Connections such as those effected by I e and 2 e, or I c and l d, are not allowed as connections" for the purposes of the game, since more than two squares must be used to form a legitimate connection. The same holds true for one-square connections" such as are shown by I a. 5 e, and 5 a, since the border cannot complete a circuit. A circuit, which is a connection having no termini, is shown on the board in the upper left quadrant of the board, its uppermost portion being the right-angle bar of l c, and its lowermost portion being the two right-angle bars of 4 b and 4 c.

Any of the patterns shown in FIGS. 2, 2A and 23 may be used to form a set of members for the playing of a game. However, identity of pattern is maintained in all members forming a set.

As has been mentioned hereinabove, a single exception to the identity of pattern may be permitted by the use of a wild card shuffled into the deck or intermixed with the blocks, and having thereon perpendicularly crossed bars, each terminating in a segment of the border of the square identical to the segments occupied by the termini of the markings of the members constituting the set. Such wild card member, when taken by chance from the deck or from the pool of blocks, may be used with greater advantage to complete a circuit or a connection.

In addition to its use as a game to be played by two or more players, wherein each player in his turn emplaces a member in a desired position and on a desired location on the board, the game may serve as diversion and entertainment for one person. A wide variety of circuits and connections. both symmetrical and asymmetrical, may be achieved, all of which in their diversity lend an aesthetical fascination to the one who arranges them. The therapeutic value of this invention is also self-evident in the case of confined persons.

Where two or more persons play this game, the first to achieve or discern a circuit or a connection may call out the .name of the game, which is CONNEXION," and, by his first discovery of the winning circuit or path, be becomes the winner of the game.

The invention having been thus disclosed, what is claimed 1. In a game apparatus for playing a game upon a playing board having multiple squares delineated upon its surface, playing pieces consisting of a set of identically marked and dimensioned square members, the markings on said members consisting of two lines or bars of at least one color contrasting to the background of said member, each bar connecting a different pair of adjacent sides of the square and each end of each bar terminating at the midpoint of a different one of said pair of sides, whereby any terminus of any bar will meet and mate with any other terminus on any other member, thus assuring that adjacent emplacement of members upon the playtermini upon the other two adjacent sides of said square.

3. The game apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a playing board having multiple squares delineated thereon, said squares being equal in number to, and dimensioned to receive,

disposed at a 45 angle and connecting two adjacent sides 5 Said members thereof, and a second, arcuately formed bar, and having its 

1. In a game apparatus for playing a game upon a playing board having multiple squares delineated upon its surface, playing pieces consisting of a set of identically marked and dimensioned square members, the markings on said members consisting of two lines or bars of at least one color contrasting to the background of said member, each bar connecting a different pair of adjacent sides of the square and each end of each bar terminating at the midpoint of a different one of said pair of sides, whereby any terminus of any bar will meet and mate with any other terminus on any other member, thus assuring that adjacent emplacement of members upon the playing board permits the generation of a sequential pattern formed by said lines.
 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein each of said square members has thereon a two-part pattern comprising a bar disposed at a 45* angle and connecting two adjacent sides thereof, and a second, arcuately formed bar, and having its termini upon the other two adjacent sides of said square.
 3. The game apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a playing board having multiple squares delineated thereon, said squares being equal in number to, and dimensioned to receive, said members. 